Posted by
bluesman
18 yrs ago
My mainland GF & I plan to marry later this year.
I am a US citizen & permanent Hk resident.
What are my options for making it possible for her to live with me in HK?
Neither the US consulate nor HK Immigration Dept has been very helpful.
Surely we should apply for a US Green Card for her, but the US will want her to actually immigrate to the US within a reasonable period of time.
We don't have plans to leave Asia in the foreseeable future.
Any suggestions? Thanks!
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I can tell you that the US gov't has nothing to do with this, unless you're moving Stateside.
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aemom
18 yrs ago
You may want to rethink your short-term plans.
For a mainlander to live in HK, the Chinese government must issue a one-way permit. Some couples wait five or more years to get this. I personally know of 3 expat-mainland couples who finally gave up on trying to live together in HK . They had no problem having the Chinese spouse immigrate to the other's home country. Once they have citizenship there, they may or may not return to HK.
Otherwise, if you really do not want to return to the US, she could live with you here in HK for a few weeks and then return to her home city to get a new two-way permit. She might be able to do this 4 or 5 times a year. Not the best way to start off a marriage.
Or you could move to China.
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Before someone from the mainland is eligible two live in HKG, he or she must have been resident in another country for a minimum of two years before they can apply. Getting marries to a HKG resident doesn't give them automatic rights to live here, as many people wrongfully assume.
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^ Not exactly. Immediately upon obtaining a US green card a mainlander can move to HK to be with a spouse,. There is no length of residency requirement in this case.
Actually, being married to a HKPR does give the spouse automatic rights to live in HK. However, for people from the Mainland it takes a long time to get the necessary permit to exercise this right.
The trick for OP is obtaining a US green card (i.e. immigrant visa) for his spouse. In order to get a US green card, his spouse must, in the vast majority of cases, actually live in the US. In fact, OP will not be able to even apply via the US consulate in Hk since he is not actually in the US now. He'll have to apply stateside through USCIS.
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Thank you all for the helpful information. If anyone else has any insights to add, please do. I suspect there are still other angles to this.
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